Mycotoxins from Mold Fungi — Weapons of Uninivited Fellow‐Boarders of Man and Animal: Structures, Biological Activity, Biosynthesis, and Precautions

In addition to the antibiotics, mycotoxins represent a second large group of biologically active substances of microbial origin. Over 300 mycotoxins are so far known and can be subdivided into 25 structural types. They are formed by approximately 350 molds of which there are 10 000 different strains. As mycotoxin‐producing molds tend to spread aggressively on foodstuffs, they can cause epidemic mycotoxicoses.—The mycotoxins have been isolated, their structures determined, and their biological activities investigated; their biosynthesis has now also largely been elucidated. Accordingly, mycotoxins are derived from only three groups of key biogenetic building blocks: polyketides, isopentenyl pyrophosphate, and amino acids. Mycotoxins are mainly non‐polar, chemically stable, are formed in high concentrations, and do not contain—unlike antibiotics—any sugars. Mycotoxins display an enormous variety of toxic‐pharmacological activities, e.g. liver degradation, hemorrhages, carcinomas. The identification of mycotoxicoses is impeded by their long incubation periods and the fact that the mycotoxins tend to accumulate in the mammalian organism, which means that even very low concentrations in food are a potential danger. The particularly dangerous aflatoxin B 1 1 may not exceed a limit in food of 5 ppb (5 μg/kg), which is difficult to control.